SSS

I am not a morning person. My idea of a perfect day is one that allows me to sleep in until 8:30AM. Waking up at 5AM on a weekday isn’t something I’d like to do on a daily basis but there I was, on a Monday morning, thumbing sleep out of my system to settle some business with a government office before lunch break. Loan applications with SSS used to be a breeze before… until an “IT upgrade” set back their system and forced (some) people to file things manually.😒

PROS: Filing your loan application in person allows you to choose the pay-out option, either through check or cash card.

An oversight cost me another day so I took an emergency leave (thanks for the advice, friends!) to settle everything by Tuesday.

CONS: Waking up early is key to getting things done before lunch time. The whole process alone takes at least 4 hours, including the waiting time.

We got there around 6:40AM and I was already #50 in the queue! Can you imagine how early #1 was? It took me 2 hours before my number was called and here’s where it gets interesting. Since I had no UMID, my payout options were either through check or cash card. I chose the latter so I had to fill out some forms at the UnionBank corner of the building. By the time I was done with everything, it was 11:12AM and I was famished, sleepy and smelly.

Our government truly has a long way to go to make these services efficient for its citizens.

Edited to add: To be fair, loan proceeds arrived exactly a week after I submitted my application. Not bad at all.👍